POWER LIST 2017, CHAIN CHAMPIONS: Mike Spencer, COO, Pizza Hut

It has been a busy year for Pizza Hut following the consolidation of two separate teams — Pizza Hut Europe and Pizza Hut UK & Ireland — into one central entity to drive future expansion.

The restructure has strengthened the business’ capabilities in brand strategy, growth and customer experience and will enable it to invest further in digital technologies across the European region.

For the company’s long-term operations guru, Mike Spencer, it provides a foundation for the UK arm to grow following a prolonged period of store refurbishment rather than expansion.

A huge proportion of the 300-strong estate has now been upgraded, assuming a more contemporary design that captures its American heritage.

With return-on-investment figures above where they should be, and guest experience surveys suggesting the new look is a winner, the work that Mike and his team have put in is certainly paying dividends.

The launch of a restaurant in Leeds back in July was, remarkably, the first new Pizza Hut in six years, with the chain ploughing £1m into the venture.

“The opening marks a significant landmark in our business strategy which has, for the past five years, focused on the restructure of our existing portfolio of restaurants across the UK,” says Mike.